MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men’s and women’s track and field teams are putting in their final preparations for the BIG EAST Indoor Championships and will embark on the penultimate meet when they travel to UW-Madison to take part in the Red & White Open on Friday, Feb. 19.

“This weekend is mostly about just getting ready for BIG EAST,” ninth-year head coach Bert Rogers said. “We have a few people that might have a lighter weekend in order to stay sharp for next week, but the main concern is what everyone needs to do individually, laying down good marks and getting ready for indoors.

“It’s also a nice opportunity for us to compete close to home and give families and friends a chance to come,” Rogers added.The Golden Eagles will send 31 men and 31 women to the Red & White Open to close out the indoor regular season on Friday. Field and track events will begin simultaneously with the women’s weight throw and men’s 3,000 meters both slated to begin at 3 p.m. Central time inside the Shell indoor track facility.

Last week, MU competed at the GVSU Big Meet in a one-day event in Allendale, Michigan. Senior Nicole Ethier highlighted the day’s action with her record-setting performance in the 600-meter dash with a time of 1:33.22, setting a personal-best and Marquette standard.

Freshman Monique Felix set her third freshman record of the season, flying to a mark of 11.99 meters (39 feet, 4 inches) and a win in the triple jump. She was named BIG EAST Field Athlete of the Week for the second time. Felix also set freshman records in the 60-meter hurdles and pentathlon earlier this season.

On the men’s side, freshmen sprinters Connor Boos (7.00 seconds) and Karl Tatum (7.03 seconds) set the fourth- and fifth-best marks all-time at MU in the 60-meter dash, while Will Wolf set a personal-best, No. 5 mark all-time at MU and second-farthest indoor mark in the BIG EAST this year with a triple jump distance of 13.92 meters (45 feet, 8 inches).

The BIG EAST Indoor Championships are set for Friday-Saturday, Feb. 26-27, at the brand new Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y.